The Terrible Things You Do
by snapmagic
Summary: RalphxJack, on the beach. Slash.


A/N: I'm fully aware this is the sketchiest paring in the history of ever. And yet, I can't stop writing it. Pretend they're sixteen; if that helps? This takes place towards the beginning of the novel. R for obvious reasons.

- -

The boy with fiery hair yawned. Lying on his back, he stretched his arms above his head before crossing them behind him and leaning back. With a flick of his neck, red locks fell haphazardly across his face, and he grinned widely, the slightest trace of manic on his sharp features. Jack bore the same, trademark glinting smirk not just when he wanted to intimidate his company, but all the time. Even when he was alone. Or so he thought.

From a small distance down the beach, another body was moving slowly by the light of the dawn. The body stopped when he spied Jack, and froze in place. Without a sound, he tried to turn and dart for the trees, but just as his back was turned, he heard a call.

"Ralph? 'S that you?"

Ralph swallowed, finding his throat to suddenly be quite dry. Knees shaking, he tried to feign nonchalance; the corners of his mouth turning up nervously. _Maybe I'll pretend I didn't hear-_

"Ralph! Where're you going?"

The blonde was just about to make a run for it when he felt something small and sharp hit his back.

"Ow! What-?"

He whirled around just in time to duck as Jack threw another stone at him, which skimmed the top of his messy mop of hair.

"You're not even going to say hello?" Jack was grinning devilishly, and everything in Ralph's mind screamed to leave immediately. As if someone else was controlling him, Ralph somehow found himself walking slowly forwards. Hot sand stuck between his toes, and his ratty t-shirt was clinging to his chest with sweat, despite the fact that the sun was just barely emerging from the clouds. It was early in the morning, and the other boys were still asleep, far away. The beach on which the two awake ones were standing on, Ralph realized, as he drew himself within just a few feet of Jack, was utterly deserted.

"Hello," Ralph managed, turning his nose upwards in an awkward gesture of paper-thin confidence, which he hoped Jack would not see through. Realizing his fingers were shaking, he clasped his hands behind his back, and tried to smile.

Jack raised a hand to shield his eyes from the blaring sunlight, teeth still wolfishly bared. "Sit down, will you? You're giving me a crick in my neck."

Ralph wanted to point out that he had only been standing above him for a matter of seconds, but he bit his tongue and sat, no less than a foot away from the other boy. When Jack reclined back onto his hands, their fingers touched, Ralph was too breathless to move away. For a while, no one said anything. Then, Jack shot him a sidelong glance and smirked.

"This is the life."

"What is?"

"You know. No adults. No girls."

"That's true."

"Although, I have to say. Girls can be…_good_ sometimes," he laughed rather lewdly. "If you know what I mean."

"Oh. Y-yeah. Of course I do."

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Huh." He looked suspicious, and in his head, Ralph began to concoct a route of escape. "So when did you have your first kiss?"

Ralph turned to him quickly, in surprise at the abrupt and brash nature of the question. "I- uhm. Last year."

Peering at him sideways, Jack quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Looking away, Ralph muttered a trembling. "Yes. I did."

For a moment there was silence, and Ralph though he had gotten off free. But Jack had moved so that he was kneeling beside him, one hand resting in the space between Ralph's knees. "I don't think you have."

"I-"

"You've never kissed a girl before, have you?" he taunted, face only inches away from Ralph's.

"No," Ralph breathed, feeling himself turn a dark shade of crimson at the confession.

"That's pathetic."

"Is not-"

"Is too."

"Is-" But Ralph could only get this far, for a moment later he was being crushed by the weight of Jack smearing a kiss on his lips, wet and messy. _A kiss. _The act seemed so foreign that it took a minute for Ralph to realize what was happening. Not until Jack's tongue was slipping between his lips to wrestle with his own did it hit him, and he struggled, legs and arms flailing as he tried to push Jack backwards. But Jack would have none of it, and shoved Ralph down harshly against the ground, before drawing his own body upwards, breaking their lips apart.

Gasping for air, Ralph tried to murmur something about _stop it now _but Jack's piercing eyes eradicated all coherent thought, all logic from his mind, and he was left with nothing but the slight moan that spilled from his lips, which he forced into the word _No_.

"Are you telling me you don't want this?" Jack sneered, hands everywhere, as he leaned in once more. His mouth closed in on Ralph's upper lip, tightly, tugging at the pink skin. Gingerly, he ran his tongue along one freckled cheek, and when Ralph's eyes shuddered shut, Jack ground their hips together, making the blonde boy gasp. He laughed softly, one hand diving unceremoniously into the depths of Ralph's tattered, wet shorts. "Something is telling me otherwise."

Ralph found himself unable to breathe. Jack's fingers were like miracles, probing, setting off fireworks that sizzled and popped and burned against his skin. His touch reached places Ralph didn't know existed on his body, and Ralph found himself making unintelligible noises that were not quite human words and not quite animal; but somewhere messy and babbling, in between the two.

_No, no, no, no, yes. _The proper sentence did not exist, the right one-liner to spew. Thoughts did not go farther than the sensations, second by second, and Ralph felt a sudden panic (-or maybe it was anticipation-) building in his stomach, tightening like he had swallowed rocks. Perfect, glorious rocks. Every limb in his body was too heavy, and he could not move if he wanted to. Which he didn't, not at all, not ever. He was at Jack's mercy.

_Oh God, Jack. _

Jack, who had torn off the last few scraps of his own clothing, unabashed in his pale nakedness as he moved down to tease and toy with Ralph's body once more. First order of business was the remaining clothing on the blonde's body, which found its way into a pile beside them in no time flat. He slid his lips down Ralph's neck, tattooing it with warm breath and furious kisses.

Suddenly, in the distance, the echo of the conch resonated. Both boys froze, heads whipping in the direction of the sound. Ralph made to get up, but Jack pushed him back down.

"They're calling-"

"I don't hear anything."

Ralph opened his mouth to speak, but stopped in mid-word. "Bu-" He caught sight of Jack's gaze, beaming so intensely onto his own face that he couldn't help but stop and reconsider. He closed his mouth and let himself sink backwards into the sand, while Jack smirked and lowered himself until they lay chest to chest. Ralph returned the sly smile.

"Nah, I don't suppose I hear anything either."

- -


End file.
